Serena Williams Wins Doubles Match in Grand Return

Sport

By lines

June 9, 2026

Comic-book illustration of anonymous tennis player for Serena Williams comeback story

The Serena Williams comeback started Tuesday at Queen’s Club in London. Serena Williams, 44, teamed with Canadian teenager Victoria Mboko at the HSBC Championships. The pair won their first-round doubles match to advance to the quarterfinals. The victory was Serena Williams’ first in professional tennis since the 2022 US Open, nearly four years ago.

A 4-Year Absence Ends at a Sold-Out Queen’s Club

Serena Williams and Mboko defeated Nicole Melichar-Martinez and Erin Routliffe, 7-6, 6-2, in the first round of women’s doubles. The match drew a sellout crowd to Queen’s Club, the historic west London grass-court venue. Serena Williams retired from professional singles competition in September 2022 at age 40 after the US Open first round. Mboko, 19, advances with Serena Williams to the HSBC Championships quarterfinals.

Serena Williams finished her singles career with 23 Grand Slam titles across 27 professional seasons. Serena Williams also won four Olympic gold medals in singles and doubles combined. Queen’s Club serves as the premier pre-Wimbledon grass-court tune-up event each June. Melichar-Martinez and Routliffe are an established doubles team with multiple WTA titles together. The opening set went to a tiebreak before Serena Williams and Mboko pulled away in the second.

Serena Williams has navigated long absences before. Serena Williams gave birth in September 2017 and returned to the WTA Tour in 2018. Serena Williams reached the Wimbledon final and the US Open final during that comeback season. This return at 44 after a nearly four-year absence is the longest competitive gap of Williams’ career. No active WTA player has won Grand Slam hardware at 44 in the Open Era. The closest modern comparison is Martina Navratilova, who won Wimbledon doubles at 46 in 2004.

Wimbledon begins June 30, placing Serena Williams three weeks from the sport’s most historic stage. A continued run at Queen’s Club earns Serena Williams and Mboko direct entry into the Wimbledon doubles draw. Mboko gains elite competitive experience alongside one of the most decorated players in tennis history. A Wimbledon doubles entry would draw a global broadcast audience. The Wimbledon commercial profile grows with each marquee name added to the draw.

Serena Williams faces the HSBC Championships quarterfinal Thursday. Serena Williams acknowledged nerves in the opening set before Serena Williams and Mboko settled into their rhythm. Each successive round brings a higher-ranked opponent. The grass season is two weeks old. Serena Williams just reminded the WTA field the comeback is real.